New Delhi: Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri on Monday underscored the significance of the construction industry which is presently giving employment to crores of skilled workers, semi-skilled and unskilled laborers. He was speaking at the launch of the National Initiative for Promotion of Upskilling of Nirman workers (NIPUN).
Asked about the significant changes taking place in the construction industry with the introduction of advanced technology, Puri said that technology has changed the game in the construction industry and more skilled laborers are needed. He also said that the government will train and equip all the enrolled laborers with adequate skills and technology. The Union Minister said that even now, for unskilled laborers, there are plenty of applications but when it comes to skilled laborers, there is only a handful of them.
Criticizing the previous governments for failing to uplift the construction sector, Puri said that there should be a focus on training the unskilled and semi-skilled laborers at a time when technology is changing the game adding that "we should've done this a long back."
The Union Minister also lauded the efforts and the initiatives of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to create a better space for these laborers which would benefit not just the individual and their families but the country as well.
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Quelling the rumors over the construction of the new Parliament building, the Union Minister clarified that the previous Parliament building was constructed in the mid-1920s and it manifested a colonial regime, not an independent country. "We are now going ahead and will soon be celebrating 75 years of independence. So this newly constructed building will represent an independent democratic nation but it doesn't mean that the previous structure will go away," added Puri.
Central Vista Avenue, stretching from Vijay Chowk to India Gate, will soon be completed in the next few days, said the Union Minister. Accusing the AAP government of claiming the Centre's projects as their own, Puri said that the AAP had refused to pay its 20 percent share in funds for the Pragati Maidan tunnel construction risking stalling the project which was aimed at easing the lives of the people. The Pragati Maidan Integrated Transit Corridor project has been built at a cost of more than Rs 920 crore and is entirely funded by the Central government.
